The La Rochelle head coach is holding out for one role in particular.
Ronan O’Gara has hinted at what his ‘dream job’ would be, just days after ruling himself out of contention for the vacant Munster head coach position.
The Munster legend denied any rumours that he was in line to replace Graham Rowntree at his former club earlier this week, instead putting two of his former teammates forward as top candidates.
The Corkman recommended that Mike Prendergast and Denis Leamy would be the perfect ‘soultion’ to the club’s head coach hunt,
“Prendy has been on the road for 11 years, cultivating his rugby knowledge around France to get it to a level commensurate with the duties and role of a head coach,” O’Gara told Off The Ball. He knows rugby inside out, he knows Munster inside out, that’s why it works.
“Plus there is a possible add of someone else with gravitas and judgement, an elder lemon. But Prendy as the director of rugby. Munster will be better if Leamy and Prendergast are given more control.”
O’Gara has three years left on his La Rochelle contract, which becomes all the more interesting when you consider that Ireland head coach Andy Farrell‘s contract with the IRFU also runs until the end of the next World Cup in 2027.
The 47-year-old admitted that he is interested in coaching at international Test level, regardless of whether that is with his home country or another of a similar stature.
“It’s the highest level of the game,” he said. “With Test rugby, there’s a drive inside you to coach Ireland or one of the best countries in the world that you could win a World Cup with.
“That’s always been a goal for me. I’ve always been short-term focused and that’s worked well for me.”
O’Gara added: “I enjoy that and I enjoy the journey – I dream a lot. I know what I’m doing this week, next month, and the rest takes care of itself.”
